Author's Note: I just want to thank those who've sent me their positive reviews, followed, and has set my story to their favorites. I'm glad that you all have so far liked it. I've put a lot of thought into this for almost now two years (trying my best to make it connect to the previous films and to put this—in my sense—perfectly as a third part).
Enjoy everyone.
~Chapter Two~
[The Golden Rise Inn, Part One]
Outside of the regions of the Valley of Peace there were only minutes left of sunlight radiating the lands till darkness would loom, and with that the three travelers who've been walking from long miles with their mission had decided it was time to make rest. The trail that they've been on led them out of a forest, to set their eyes upon a two-story building that was about twenty yards away; a place that was on plain ground, with its sign on a large board above the entrance where two large paper lanterns hanged at opposite ends, showing the words in black: The Golden Rise Inn.
Together they approached and entered inside the inn one by one through the entrance soundlessly. From there only strides away, by the support of more but smaller paper lanterns dangling from the wooden beams of the ceiling—their glows shining goldenly, pushing away the upcoming darkness in the area—they saw an elderly swine, playing with her musical instrument. She sat upon a wooden stool beside the main stand, wearing her black trim grey robe being held together by her brown waist belt, picking the strings of her qínqín; her back facing them unknowingly, humming along with her simple, sedative song.
The three travelers stood in place for only seconds listening, then with silent steps they furthered in walking until they were alongside the pig.
"That's a lovely tune," one of them spoke to her, whom by the sound of the voice was female.
The elderly swine stopped and turned in spook. "Oh!" By the golden hue from the lanterns she saw that all three of these strangers wore identical outfits: straw conical hats covering the top halves of their faces baring only their mouths—except one whose mouth was not seen—and wearing dark cloaks that have concealed their bodies. She also noticed that one of them carried a wooden staff.
"Oh my, please excuse me," she said placing her qínqín upon the main stand and hurriedly ran around behind, "my apologies to have kept you waiting."
"No harm is done," said the same voice with calm, which came from the middle of the three. "Are you the keeper of this inn?"
"Yes," the elder replied.
"We wish to stay for the night, if that's alright?"
"Oh, most certainly it is, welcome," she returned while taking her instrument off from the stand and putting it away out of sight. "Will it just be you three?" she then asked, pulling a scroll from the cabinet behind her.
"Yes. And have it be just for one room."
"Just one room?" the keeper questioned. "We have many if you'd like your own separate rooms. Not a whole lot of travelers come by often anymore, not like the old days. The price is the same for each person."
"Thank you, but just one would be fine," the traveler confirmed. The other two stood by her on opposite sides in silence.
The swine found this slightly odd, but didn't prod further with the question, seeing as their concealing attire and posture of silence had begun to timid her a bit. "Six coins from each then, please," she said.
They each—nearly at the same time—pulled out their gold coins from underneath their cloaks. The paw belonging to the middle of the three, swathed with wrappings, was held out first in front of the pig; her companions whose paws were in the same style as hers followed along. The keeper received the coins and placed them into her small burlap sack she grabbed from under the stand, with twine stitched at the top to seal the bag when pulled. After tying it to the side of her waist belt—planning to putting it into its rightful place where it will be safe after setting these guests to their room—she rolled out the scroll onto the stand which had the list of names, their dates and time by the previous visitors—which plenty of unwritten space was also revealed—and requested for the three to please write their names with the writing brush she presented to them. Beside the scroll was a small jar of ink for them to dip into.
"We wish to keep that to ourselves, if you don't mind," said the middle of the three.
The swine paused, feeling more timorous that they didn't want to be identified—name or by body, it seemed. But, they were now guests of the Golden Rise Inn who've paid for a room, she thought to herself that she perhaps shouldn't be so nervous, but without doubt believed that this indeed is strange.
"Well, I wouldn't" she said and encouraged herself to prod this further, "but as the keeper of this inn, which has been within my family before me, I must have the names of those who stay—"
"How about for this, you let us slide without knowing our names?" spoke out the other holding the staff abruptly, who too was a female by the sound of voice. From underneath her cloak she mildly in a swift pulled out her small sack onto the stand and drew out some gems.
The keeper was in awe of surprise. "Oh my…" This stranger was willing to give these valued looking gems that are worth more than the gold coins the elder got just to keep her and her companions' names buried. Something must be going on for them to urgently wanting to stay like this. Nothing she supposed would involve her, would it? If she accepted the gems, would it then be?
"No, I really mustn't, I can't—"
"We only wish to stay for the night with our names hidden," she said to the pig. "By sunrise we will be gone, and these will be yours, as a gratitude for letting us stay."
The swine was speechless at this point, looking at the gems and back at the three repeatedly.
"Please take them," said the middle of the three.
"Are you all in some kind of trouble?" the elder finally spoke.
"We're on an important quest," she returned truthfully. "No trouble. And if so, it will not involve you, I promise. Again, we only wish to rest, after walking long miles. Tomorrow we will continue our quest and you will not see us, or ever again."
The keeper was hesitant, but after all received the gems.
"Thank you," she said to them.
"No, thank you," said the staff bearer.
The third of their group, whose mouth not visible but covered remained silent but bowed with appreciation. Shortly after so did the others.
After putting the gems with the coins in her small sack and putting away the scroll and brush, underneath the stand she then pulled out a transportable lantern and swiftly lit the candle inside with a match till it illuminated a golden glow.
"Please follow me," she then said; "I will take you to your room now."
The keeper led them upstairs into the corridor, passing few of the rooms that were parallel from the others across—every one of them shown by the lantern had a sliding door frame with rice wall covering. Down the end of the corridor the walkway continued on to their right. Walking further passing more rooms, the swine stopped beside theirs. It was the last room at the end to the left.
"Here we are," she said to three.
She slid open the door and walked inside the room of darkness. She guided herself with her lantern a little ways till in front of her were a few unlit candles. After igniting them she then went across the room and lit more, and then the last few in the back of the room. With a total of twelve candles lit—three at each corner of the room burning brightly—plus the keeper's lantern, the place was visible. It was a decent room with wooden walls, a table with two chairs underneath a framed window in the back, a bed with two stuffed pillows and a blanket along the right wall, and two drawers at opposite sides of a wardrobe along the left wall.
"I hope you won't mind that there's only one bed," said the keeper.
"It will do."
"If you need anything, I'll be downstairs," she said. "I hope you enjoy your stay here at the Golden Rise Inn."
"We will, thank you," said the staff bearer.
The keeper made her leave out of their room with her lantern, sliding the door closed. The three watched as she did, then were listening to the sounds of her footsteps as they decreased by the further she walked away into the corridor to her place till only silence remained.
"Good work sisters," said one of the three, pulling off her straw hat, revealing her head. She was a Snow Leopard: her fur a blend of white and grey with black spots; her eyes—right with the iris of gold, left with blue that was sightless. She stepped her way toward the two chairs, taking her seat at the table. "We will rest for a few hours, and then head out again."
"Dear sister," said the staff bearer, who too then took off her hat. She too was a Snow Leopard whose features resembled that of her sister's but with both eyes gold and a scar underneath the left; the back and top of her head including her ears and neck swathed with wrappings. "You then understand why I gave her those gems?"
"Yes Wing, I do," she replied, Su, looking through the window at the night's sky. "We're being followed. It was important that you did. If you had not, we perhaps would not have been welcomed to stay, regardless of our reasons. As long as we're here, they won't do anything rash to pursuit us—I hope."
The third member—Wan—took part into taking off her hat. Another Snow Leopard with features parallel as the others—minus the blinding eye and the scar—with her whole head but the area of her eyes wrapped. She sat upon the bed listening to her sisters.
"I sensed that two, maybe three of them were behind us," said Wing.
"Yes. And in no doubt are part of his gang," said Su. "They mustn't ever retrieve the pieces of the stone."
"They won't. He will never have them as long as we find them first and destroy them."
"Yes, that we will make sure of. He has many pieces already, but there are many still out there hiding, plus the ones that we carry. Has their color changed around this area?"
"No dear sister."
Su nodded. "Alright, you two rest. I will take first watch. In about an hour we will alternate. Understood?"
Her two sisters nodded.
Wing first placed her staff next to her leaving it to lean against the wall beside the bed, then together her and Wan laid themselves onto the bed over the blanket still in their cloaks, resting their heads on the pillows, shutting their eyes.
Su took a glance as they did and returned to the window. After a while, from under the necktie of her cloak, with care she pulled out a medallion that was around her swathed neck by a thin chain—a silver medallion engraved with swerving lines around the edges, centered with a sapphire gem. She was gently brushing it with the digits of her right paw, leaving her other upon the table—thinking of long past thoughts, gazing at the night sky.
I promise, my dear sisters, she thought to herself, we will have our revenge…for the pain that we've endured for so long…will be justified…
Author's Note: If you have not realized yet, the Wu Sisters (from the Secrets of the Masters) are going to be in the story. I thought that when I first saw them, they were interesting characters portrayed as villains, and thought that it would also be interesting to have them be part of my story, but not as villains, but instead as protagonist characters. Of course I did not originally create nor do I own the Wu Sisters, but I will say that everything that will be described about them in the story has in fact been thought of by me.
Qínqín – is a plucked Chinese lute, manufactured with a wooden body, a slender fretted neck, and three strings.
